


Moonberry Mess

by blutopaz15



Series: First Love [3]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Baking, Callum - Freeform, Comfort, Cute, Does this count as domestic fluff? Tagging it anyway, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Homesickness, Kissing, Light Angst, Love, Making Out, Rayla - Freeform, Rayllum, Romance, Sneaking Around, Snuggling, Sweet, Thought this was going to be a one-shot but I guess not, Tickling, fairytales - Freeform, lovey dovey nonsense, moonberry surprise, rayla angst, the fluffiest fluff that I could ever fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26368294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blutopaz15/pseuds/blutopaz15
Summary: Callum has gathered all of the ingredients to bake Rayla some Moonberry Surprise, but they’ll need Rayla’s super-stealth skills in order to get some alone time in the kitchen.
Relationships: Callum & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Rayllum - Relationship
Series: First Love [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904629
Comments: 12
Kudos: 88





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, so, this WAS going to be a one-shot...and then I got carried away. *shrug*
> 
> Anyway, this is a follow-up to Chapter 3 of one of my other fics, First Date. This will definitely at least be three chapters long, maybe more like five...we’ll see!
> 
> Enjoy the fluff and love!!

The plan was simple.

Well, at least Callum had _thought_ it would be simple. Just wait until it was late at night, then sneak into the kitchen for an hour or two to bake Rayla’s favorite dessert. No big deal.

Then he’d told Rayla the plan and, either out of boredom or actual concern for secrecy, it had taken on a life of its own. She didn’t bother to think about the logistics when she’d first thrown her arms around him with glee in the library—he remembered fondly, smiling to himself warmly now as he walked down the hall from that very library—but the next morning, as they walked back to the castle from their campsite, she’d started asking a lot of questions about the operations of the kitchen and the dining hall.

By the time they’d arrived back at the castle, it has been nearly lunch time. Hungry from a night of little food and _lots_ of kissing, he’d suggested that they eat. She’d told him to go ahead. That she’d be there in a minute. With curiosity, he agreed but didn’t go inside, instead plopping down on the empty bench outside. He watched as she walked around the side corner of the dining hall a little _too_ casually, checking over her shoulder one too many times. He followed her with his eyes until she disappeared. Before long she had reappeared from around the other side of the building.   
  
“What were you doing?” He asked, when she approached again.

”Recon,” she shrugged, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

For the last 48 hours, she’d spent spare moments hanging around various doors that led into the dining hall, insisting on sitting closer to the kitchen when they ate, and even asking Ezran questions about Barius, the baker. He’d been silently shaking his head behind her back whenever he caught her not-so-surreptitiously doing “recon.”

After all, what was the worst that could happen? They were discovered and someone, what? Tells his brother, the king? Who also has an infamous love of baked goods? The only reason Callum cared to sneak around at all was be to be alone with her. But, there was no way he’d tell her how ridiculous he found her all her planning and plotting.

Mostly because her fascination with the epilogue to their date was so ridiculously _cute_. 

He wandered into the courtyard that led out to the dining hall, still smiling warmly at his thoughts of his lovely, stealthy elven sweetheart, who he knew to be perched high-up in the tree above him, watching all of the comings and goings in and out of the dining hall. For what reason, he could only guess. They were sneaking into the kitchen at mid _night_ , not midday _._

Despite knowing what her plan had been for this sunny morning, Callum was still surprised when she jumped down behind to him, mostly because she’d done it silently, then immediately looped her arms around his waist, settling her chin on his shoulder. His skin tingled at her touch, even more than usual.

“Did I scare you?” Rayla asked in his ear mischievously, having felt him jump at her touch. He relaxed feeling her warmth breath against his ear. 

”Pshh, no, of course not,” he shrugged, placing his hands on top of hers. “Hey stranger,” he said. She squeezed him tighter around his waist, then released him, keeping just his hand in hers, as she came around to stand beside him. Her smile melted him, as usual. 

”Hey yourself,” she said. He reached to take her other hand as well, turning her to face him, and leaned toward her. He felt his heart skip a beat, like it always did when they shared their first kiss of the day. “What have you been up to?”

“Copied the recipe out of the book,” he said, holding up the folded piece of paper he’d produced on his library trip. She snatched it from his hand eagerly, unfolded it, and traced the lines of ingredients with her finger as she read. She wandered to a nearby bench to sit, and he followed.

”...we have more moonberries than this, right?” She raised an eyebrow, looking at him sideways.

”Uhh, how much?” He brushed her hair to the side to peer over her shoulder at the recipe. “I think we have two pints?”

“I don’t do Katolian measurements. This is in cups. How many _cups_ do we have?” She asked, turning to face him.

“Four? Maybe?” She glared at him as he shrugged. “I don’t know! I don’t exactly bake all that often.”

”Well this calls for three, and I can tell you now, that is _not_ enough.” She handed the paper back to him, and crossed her arms. 

“We can get more. We have all day.” He shrugged, tucking the recipe away again. “So, what time are we meeting here to—?”

”Shhh!” She exclaimed, a finger to his lips. She brought her tone down to a whisper. “It’s not exactly sneaky if you blab about our plan right outside of the scene of the crime!”

”Oh right. I mean, what time do you want to go on our _date_ tonight?” He winked, playing along with the seriousness of her plan. She rolled her eyes. 

“It’s going to be late,” she said flatly, unamused. He, on the other hand, was very amused with her dramatics.

”How late?” He placed his hand on top of hers and rubbed his thumb against hers. 

”Probably midnight. Maybe 12:30.”

”I don’t know if can be out that late,” he winked again. “That’s past my curfew.”

”Oh my—come here.” She yanked him up by his hand. Startled, but pleased to go _wherever_ with her, he willing stumbled along. She pulled him around the corner of the building, away from the bright courtyard. He observed her as she looked back and forth to check they were alone before shoving him into a dark alcove where they wouldn’t be seen or heard. He’d ended up against the side wall, about six inches of space between their lips.

“Well, hello...” He leaned up, eyes half-lidded, expecting a kiss.

“Cut it out, dummy,” she said, poking him in the ribs. He winced with a laugh.

”Aw, c’mon Rayla! You can’t shove me into a dark corner and then leave me hanging!” He touched her forearm, running his finger along the line of her wrist guard, trying to entice her closer.

”Focus, Callum. Moonberry Surprise. Midnight.” She poked him in the chest this time. Even her scowl was cute.

”Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said. “I know all that already.”

“We’re going to have to sneak out of our room too, though. I think we’ll have less of a chance of waking up Ez if we leave one at a time.”

He rubbed his thumb against the bare skin of her arm as she spoke. She looked down at the motion. He smiled when she paused, hoping he’d succeeded in distracting her. To his disappointment she kept explaining, so he brought his other hand to her other arm to continue the distraction.

“So I’m going to leave at 11:30, and you should leave at 11:45. That’s when the guards are furthest from our hall. We’ll have to go the long way around, though. To the left, not the right. I’ll watch for you from the tree and make sure we’re in the clear.”

He brought one hand up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. Her eyes followed his fingers, even as she finished her instructions.

“I-If I don’t jump down when you come by the tree, then you should go back to bed and we’ll try again tomorrow night.” 

“‘kay. You’re cute.” He stated, having watched her lips the whole time. He reached for her waist with both hands. He wished she didn’t have her armor on.

“Did you listen, even a little bit?” She asked. Her tone conveyed annoyance but the smile on her lips suggested otherwise.

”Mmhmm, of course.”

She sighed, then allowed his fingers on her waist to pull her closer as she stepped toward him, her own hands wrapped in the fabric of his scarf. She pushed his body between hers and the wall, then fell in to him, kissing him. _Oh_ , he thought noting her assertiveness with pleasure, realizing that their entire torsos were connected now. His eyes flew open in surprise when his head touched the wall behind them as she deepened their kiss. She ran her tongue along his lip, and he opened his mouth gladly to let her caress his tongue with hers. She broke away much too soon for his liking. “Did you _eat_ the moonberries?” She grumbled, still close to his lips.

”...I might have had a couple.” He grinned sheepishly. 

“We already don’t have enough!” She complained. She turned sharply and started walking away from him. He caught her hand just in time to keep her from going. She turned slowly back to hear his plea.

”Rayla,” he whined. “Come back and kiss me! We’ll go get more moonberries in a minute.” She pushed him backward again with the full weight of her body, hands pressed flat to his chest. He exhaled as he hit the wall again with a thump. She didn’t kiss him though. Instead she left just a centimeter of space between their lips, their bodies just as connected as before. He could’ve easily closed the distance between them, but he played along with her game. “Rayla...” he whispered, sucking in air around them, intoxicated by her scent so close to him for so long.

“Hmm?” She hummed, and moved her hands up from his chest to his shoulders. She pressed her thumbs into them, rubbing small circles. She kept her lips tantalizingly close to his. He swallowed, his tongue feeling thick in his mouth.

”Kiss me,” he asked. She closed the distance between them gently—too gently for the amount of tension between them and too gently for the pressure of her body against his. He let her lead though, his hands comfortably against her lower back, right where her body curved out to her hips. His hands were unimpeded by her armor here, at least.

Her kisses were short and soft, contrasting with hard wall she kept him pinned to. Her lips never fully closed as she brought them to his over and over. When he was just about to give in and cradle her face gently in place to lengthen their next kiss, she finally kept her lips attached for longer than a moment. He sighed as their slightly open lips allowed him to taste her mouth—a slightly stronger, certainly more intoxicating version of the scent that had lingered in the air before she’d kissed him.

He regretted sighing, though, because it made her stop their kiss to pull away and say, “Having fun?” She chuckled a little and leaned her forehead against his. Her nose brushed against his. She was still pressed flush against him, which he’d become more and more aware of as the moments passed.

”This is...addicting,” he whispered reverently. He really could kiss her—and more—all day. She kissed his cheek.   
  
“Moonberries,” she stated, tapping on his chest with an open hand. “Let’s go.” He sighed, then took the hand now resting on his chest and surrendered himself to be pulled along. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know why every fic I write seems to be all Rayla’s emotional turmoil, but here we are!
> 
> Next chapter will be more fluffy, but I wanted to establish Rayla’s homesickness so that Callum can be comforting for the rest of the fic. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“No, no, no, no, no!” Rayla complained. Each _no_ had gotten progressively louder and Callum couldn’t tell whether that was due to distance or volume. Still, he felt the color drain from his face at their continued bad luck in berry-picking. He turned his face downhill to where she had disappeared to look for berries, away from direct sunlight.

“ _Still_ nothing?” He called, frowning towards the cluster of bushes and trees that she’d disappeared into ten minutes ago. He walked back towards the trail and saw Rayla appear on the other side through the brush, looking grumpy, her mouth fixed in a scowl. She crossed her arms, her nearly empty basket dangling from one elbow. 

They had scoured the forest outside of town for the past few hours, searching for that extra cup or two of moonberries. In fact, their search had almost brought them all the way back to their campground from the other night.

The first half hour or so had been fun, at least. They’d held hands, and there had even been some breaks to kiss in the shade of the trees that lined the path. Then, they’d found a bush—the only one so far—that actually had some berries on it, and realized that their berry-picking plan might be foiled.

Half of the berries on the offending bush were shriveled. They picked the berries that weren’t, but Rayla had realized and explained the Callum that without the tree cover that the berry bushes normally have back in the Moonshadow Forest, the heat of summertime must’ve been killing all of the berries. She figured moonberry season must be shorter in Katolis.

”I didn’t know how _hot_ June would be in Katolis,” she’d said with a groan. A groan that she’d repeated every time they rounded a corner or explore the brush to find nothing but empty bushes with shriveled berries.  
  
Two hours later, from where she stood now at the edge of the trail, she said: “This is hopeless.”

”Well, how much do you have there?” He crossed the trail to peer into the basket. She didn’t move even to offer it to him to look.

”Not enough. You forget that we’re going to have to get rid of _half_ of them.” She reminded him that they still had to pick apart the moonberries from the nearly identical deathberries. 

“Well...maybe we can adjust the recipe,” he shrugged. If looks could kill, hers would have.

”What? No. If it doesn’t have enough moonberries, it won’t taste right.” She scoffed and rolled her eyes. He thought her displeasure was a little extreme, but still wanted her to be happy.

”I mean adjust the other ingredients,” he clarified. “I know we were going to share with Ez and Bait, but it _is_ already a secret anyway. So we’ll just make two instead of four.” He shrugged again.

”I guess,” she grumbled, a little more venomously than she’d intended. He frowned, and she paused when she saw his expression. She stared at the dirt and kicked at the ground, eyes downcast. “I’m sorry. I’m just feeling...homesick, and I was hoping this would fix it.”

”Oh,” he said. He reached to touch her just above her elbows, her arms still crossed in front of her chest. “It’s okay that you feel that way, Rayla.”

“Yeah, but I shouldn’t take it out on you. Especially not when you’re trying to do something so sweet for me.” Her eyes were still trained on the ground. He squeezed where he held her arms. “What?” She looked up to find his eyes closer to hers than she expected, filled with understanding despite her attitude.

”What can I do?” He asked earnestly. She let her arms fall from their crossed position, catching the handle of the basket before it could fall.

“Nothing.” She struggled to meet his gaze again, more than a little embarrassed at her outburst especially in light of his levelheaded reaction to it.

”There has to be something I can do to make you feel more at home here. I want you to feel like this _is_ home.” He leaned closer, trying to catch her eye.

”You don’t get it, Callum!” She started, frustrated again. He pulled his hands away. “I’m sorry.” She exhaled loudly, now even more frustrated with herself and her temper. She put a hand against her forehead and hung her head a little.

“It’s ok, Rayla,” he said with seemingly infinite patience. “Just...talk to me.”

“Ok,” she breathed in, in an attempt to calm down. “You’re already doing something that should make it better, and it _does_ make me happy. But this still isn’t the Silvergrove...and nothing you could do can change that.” She finally met his eyes, and he hadn’t been prepared for how they shone with tears that hadn’t yet fallen. 

”Do you _want_ to go back?” He asked gently. He took the basket from her hands and set it on the ground before wrapping his hands around hers.

”Yes and no. I miss the way everything was...before.” A tear fell and he wiped it away. “But it wouldn’t be that way now. I don’t even know if I _can_ go back.” When she closed her eyes, more tears spilled out. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He felt some of the tension in her body release after a few moments of holding her close.

“Could Ethari get a letter from you? Even though he can’t see you?” He pulled away to ask, fingers still rubbing against her arms.

”I don’t know.” Her tears had mostly subsided but her expression was somehow darker now.

”Well, maybe we should try,” he suggested with a reassuring smile. 

“Maybe.” She paused, then brightened a little at the next thought. “But, Callum? I also don’t want to be away from you and Ez. You...feel like family now. Even if Katolis doesn’t feel like home.” She returned his smile, warmth breaking through the tears. She leaned into his touch, stepping a little closer.

“Rayla, don’t let me...us...stop you from going home.” He captured her fingers in his again, bringing them to his lips to kiss. “I could come with you, if you wanted.”

”You can’t leave Ez,” she said confidently. She didn’t want to cause them to be separated. She wasn’t even sure if going home was worth the pain of _just her_ separating from them, even if it was only temporary.

”He’d be okay for a little while. We could go back and forth.” Callum shrugged, then grinned in hopes of lightening the mood. “After all, I want to have the all-access tour of Rayla’s favorite things like we did for my favorites the other day.” 

” _You’re_ my favorite thing,” she retorted before she could stop the sappy words from leaving her lips. He smirked, and she blushed red. “I mean, I’ll think about it,” she clarified. He kissed her burning cheek.

”Now, what can I do to cheer you up?” He still held her hands. “Apparently the moonberries are a bust.”

“Let’s go back to the castle. I mean, _home_ ,” she said firmly. She gazed meaningfully at him.He acknowledged the significance of her words with a squeeze of her hands before he let one go and then turned back the way they came on the forest path.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which, Rayla thinks human fairytales are dumb (what a shock), Callum tickles Rayla (see my other fic, "First Date"), and they sneak out to go bake!
> 
> Enjoy!

Rayla breathed in deeply and turned her head to nuzzle in closer to Callum’s chest. She loved cuddling before bed like this, her head on his chest, warm arms wrapped around each other. She practically sighed in relief each evening since they'd arrived back in Katolis when they could finally escape to put on their pajamas and snuggle up like this. Ez always had some duties to attend to after dinner, so they nearly always stole away just after eating with him just to relax like this. She'd worried at first what others would say if they came looking for them and found them intertwined like this, but Callum had reassured her that no one would just barge in without knocking. Plus, he'd reasoned to her, they weren't doing anything _that_ objectionable...most of the time.

"Even for uptight humans?" She'd asked.

"Even for uptight human," he'd responded, fudging the truth a little. He was sure no one would be _shocked_ that they spent much of the early evening in each other's arms, but he didn't think anyone would be particularly _thrilled_ about it either.

Safe from scrutiny or not, it felt like she could breathe easier alone with him like this, like she could ignore the worry that bounced around in her head when she was alone. She dreaded separating when Ez arrived to the trio's shared room each night. Aside from on their camping trip the other night, she'd been sleeping worse and worse since the initial exhaustion of their month-long adventure had worn off. _  
_

His arm tightened around her, as if he could sense the bittersweet shift in her mood. Shaking off the bitter pieces of her thoughts, she looked past the open pages of _Tales of Old Xadia,_ the giant tome that Callum balanced precariously on his belly, to notice their bare shins practically knotted together. Somehow her right leg had ended up under his left and his right leg under her left. She wiggled her toes against the top of his foot, musing to herself about how soft his skin was there.  
  
“Hey, that tickles," he commented, lowering the book to glance down towards the distraction. "Are you even looking?"  
  
“What?” She said, pulled out of her reverie. “Oh, no. Not really. Sorry. What’s it about?” He raised the book again.

”The girl is mistreated by her family but then she gets to go to a ball and she meets Prince Charming.” She enjoyed feeling the vibration of his voice in his chest where she laid.

”Is that his _name_?” Rayla scoffed. She couldn't help the incredulous smile. _None_ of these fairytales had been familiar at all to her so far, each more ridiculous than the last.

”...no comment," he said. He drew out the next word. "Anyway, they fall in love—of course—but she has to leave at midnight, otherwise her carriage will turn back into a pumpkin—“

” _What_?” She asked, sitting up slightly to look at him quizzically, half-expecting him to be joking. She found his expression perfectly serious.

”A pumpkin? You know, orange, round..ish,“ he explained with infuriating patience.

”No, dummy, I know what _pumpkin_ is. _Why_ would her carriage turn into one?”

” _Magic_.” He raised both hands to wiggle his fingers in the air. She rolled her eyes, but a smile crept across her lips.

”That’s the stupidest magic that I’ve ever heard of.” She set her head back down against him. “What other stupid shit do humans use magic for?”

”Oh man, just because you said that, I’m going to figure out how to do that. I’m going to learn the Earth arcanum _just_ tomake a carriage out of a pumpkin.” Callum closed the book and laid it to the side, then clasped his arms around her.

”Why was the carriage a pumpkin in the first place?!”

”Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot to mention. She has a fairy godmother who makes it so she can go to the ball. So she turns a pumpkin into a carriage.”

”See, that’s a pretty important detail to leave out.” She poked him in the side and he jumped a little.

"Hey!" He exclaimed. "There's more."

"Go on."

"So, she leaves a shoe behind on the steps when she leaves to catch her pumpkin." She glanced up, hearing the humor in his voice, to reward him with another eye roll. "So he takes it door to door and gets every girl in the kingdom to try the shoe on, but it only fits her! So they live happily ever after."

"...it wouldn't fit _anyone_ else? In the entire kingdom? And why wouldn't he just, I don't know, look at her _face_?" She was practically ranting, having sat up completely now. She curled her legs up, hugging her knees to her.

"... _romance_ ," he said with the same wiggly-fingered gesture from before.

"That's...ridiculous. It's no wonder I haven't heard that story before. Probably because elves realized how _stupid_ it was."

"Aw, come on! It's kind of nice, isn't it? True love, and all that?" He shrugged as he defended the story.

"Yeah, okay, Prince Charming," she laughed, teasing him, "Can't remember what she looks like, but no, yeah. True love. For sure."

"I mean, not as true as _our love_ , of course," he said, affecting a dramatic tone.

"Well, I do hope that you _at least_ know what I look like," she smirked. "Come here and kiss me, you big, dumb human."

She thought she saw a glimmer of mischief in his eye before he moved to kiss her tenderly. She untucked her knees and let him lean her back, flat against the bed. His touch was more firm then usual against her waist, despite the calm of his gentle kiss, as he leaned over her. She smiled against his mouth, touching his cheek. Then, she shrieked.

“Ah, Callum!” His fingers tickled gently at her rib cage over her pajamas.

"I told you I'd get you when you least expected it!"

She hit him playfully in the shoulder, laughing all the while, and tried to get her knees up between them, but he’d already accounted for knees. She didn’t know _when_ exactly he’d straddled her hips, but she didn’t want the tickling to stop badly enough to buck him off of her. “Stop! Callum! Come on! Stop it!” Her shouts intermingled with giggles. Her cheeks, pink from exertion and laughter, deepened in color when he managed to pin both of her hands down to the mattress above her head with one hand, stopping the only defense she cared to use. He didn’t even stop when the position of her arms meant that he’d be tickling bare flesh as her squirming made her shirt ride up.

“You know I’m letting you win, right?” She laughed. This caused him to pause for just a moment, trying to form a retort. She could see the moment their compromising position dawned on him, when his eyes widened as he looked at her hands. Then, to her surprise, he grinned, and kissed her, arms pinned, bare belly exposed, and all.

”Then stop me,” he taunted, before reattaching his lips to hers. She wouldn't dream of doing _that._ Instead, she sighed into the kiss. He pressed her bottom lip between his, hand still half way between her waist and hip, warm skin on warm skin. 

“Well that's...new,” she said when they broke apart to breathe. He let go of her hands. She didn't have the heart to let on about the twinge of pain in her bad wrist.

"Sorry," he said, still sitting on top of her. He looked everywhere but her eyes.

"No, no...don't be." She blushed. He glanced back to her with a small smile.

 _Knock knock-knock knock knock_.

Callum lept off of her and Rayla sprinted to the other side of the room, diving under her blanket to hopefully appear as if she'd been there all along. "Come in!" She called, still pink-cheeked and a little sweaty from her laughing fit. She glared at the sweet prince responsible for her dishevelment across the room as he continued to adjust and readjust the way he was sitting on his bed. _'What are you doing?'_ She mouthed. He shrugged and then picked up the huge book again from the side of his bed, burying his face in it.

"Hey, guys," Ez said as he tiredly dragged into the room. Bait, also sleepy, was cradled in his arms.

"H-hey Ez!" Callum said, a little too enthusiastically. Ez glanced at the cover of the open book.

"Why are you reading that upside down?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. When Callum gave no immediate response, he turned to Rayla. "And why are you all red?"

"Oh, uh--"

"Well--"

"Rayla threw it at me!"

"Yeah, because we were--uh--having a fight!"

"Because she thinks Cinderella is stupid!"

"Yeah, _so_ dumb! _Clearly_ elven fairy tales are _so_ much better!"

"O...kay," Ezran said, looking back in confusion between the two. "Are you guys okay? Because if you're _fighting_ about something as little as that..."

"Oh, no, yeah! We're fine--" Callum started.

"Well, I _am_ feeling a little homesick," Rayla continued, relieved to get closer to the truth again. "so, I've been kind of on edge today."

"Oh," Ezran said. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nah, not really. I probably just...need some rest." She smiled.

"Well, it's not much but I _did_ make sure that the kitchen had more moonberries on hand. I know they're your favorite," he said with an optimistic smile.

Rayla glanced imperceptibly at Callum's grinning face across the room. "That's sweet, Ez. Thanks."

The young king yawned. "Well, it's late. Past ten," he said. "Do you mind if I turn out the lights?" Ez asked, extinguishing his.

"Nah, that's fine. We should probably go to sleep too," Rayla responded. She stood up to meet Callum in the middle of the room for a brief goodnight kiss, as was their nightly routine. They each climbed under their blankets, smiling at each other knowingly from across the room as they put out their lights and settled in to wait until closer to midnight.

* * *

"Rayla," he whispered as quietly as possible, "I think it's almost time."

She put a finger to her lips, then carefully, carefully stood next to her bed, watching Ezran's sleeping form the entire time. She turned to pick up her pile of clothes from the bedside table.

"Aww...no," Callum whispered. "Do you really need _all that_ to sneak into the _kitchen_?"

She rolled her eyes, admittedly a little charmed by his aversion to her armor. She silently crept over closer to him. "Fine. Listen, you'll have to follow me in fifteen minutes. Do you remember what I told you?"

"To the left? Or was it to the right?" He brought a finger to him chin as he tried to recall what she'd said while he'd been trying to distract her earlier.

"Left!" She hissed.

"Oh, yeah! Ok, and then you'll be by the tree waiting for me?" She nodded, and then put her finger to her lips again as she turned to go.

She cracked open the door just the tiniest bit to peer outside into the hall. She watched through the crack as the guards disappeared around the corner at the end of the hallway. Glancing back at Ezran to make sure he was sleeping, she open the door a little further, just enough to squeeze her body through. Pulling the door closed silently behind her, she turned left down the hall, headed in the opposite direction from the guards. At the first corner, she came to a halt, waiting and listening for any footsteps. Hearing nothing she peeked around the corner before sprinting down the hall, pleased that her light canvas shoes were actually quieter than her boots that she'd almost worn. Still, she stuck to the shadows. At the next corner, she heard Soren's booming laughter around the bend and paused to listen for which way he was going. She jumped to seem extra startled when he rounded the corner and nearly ran into her.

"Oh, hey. Sorry, Rayla."

She decided nonchalance was the name of the game with Soren.

"It's okay," She said and continued walking as calmly as she could.

"Hey!" He called back. She froze and spun around slowly.

"Yes?"

"Can you remind Callum to come talk to me tomorrow? I know he can, like, grow wings and everything now, but he still really sucks at fighting, so we should get back to training, I think."

"Sure, I'll tell him later. Night!" She said, spinning back around.

"You mean...tomorrow?" He asked. She was already halfway down the hall.

"Yup, uh-huh. Whenever! Bye!"

"Bye!" She glanced over her shoulder to see him waving goodbye and disappearing around the corner. She exhaled when he did.

* * *

She sighed impatiently from the limb of the tree that she sat on. "C'mon, Callum," she said to no one. The kitchen was definitely empty, but they didn't have an unlimited amount of time, either. She'd deduced from listening to all of the kitchen employees talking outside the back door of the dining hall the other day that the kitchen would only be empty until 3am when the first shift came in, and she wanted to be long gone before then.

Finally, he appeared from around the corner, looking far more relaxed than she thought was appropriate for someone who was supposed to be _sneaking_. She jumped down and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the shadow of the tree.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Did anyone see you?" She asked. He shook his head. "Okay. I saw Soren, but he didn't think anything of it, so I think we're good. Do you have everything?"

He slung his backpack around to his front and tapped on it. "Yup. Everything we need is right here. Except the extra berries. How great is it that Ez made them get more berries?" He exclaimed, excited.

She gave a small laugh. "Pretty great. Just hope we can find them." She took his hand and turned toward the dining hall door. She took a precautionary glance in either direction, before pulling him towards it and suddenly they were through entryway, finding a dimly-lit, empty hall.

He brought her hand up to his lips for a kiss, then grinned. "Moonberry Surprise, coming right up!" She smiled fondly as _he_ dragged _her_ along by their joined hands back into the kitchen.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to a little bit of angst here mixed in with the fluff! This chapter took me forever to write, too. Enjoy! One more chapter of this fic to go!

Despite Callum’s best intentions to bake Moonberry Surprise _for_ Rayla, she’d gone behind him to check his work at every turn. He’d meticulously followed the recipe for the batter, but as soon as he turned to get the cake pans out, he found her zesting another Xadian orange into the bowl. She’d bent over close to the bowl, tongue peeking out of the corner of her smiling lips. He smiled fondly, enjoying the way the markings on her cheeks were distorted by her lopsided expression.

”Whatcha doin’?” He asked, setting the pans beside the bowl. She shrugged and straightened up. 

”Recipe’s wrong.” She tapped the utensil against the bowl, the last shreds of orange peel falling into the mixture, and then set it to the side. She grinned at him, and laid a kiss on his cheek. One hand pressed against his other cheek as she did, the aroma of the orange zest accompanying it. She eagerly turned to the berries and spices next to the stove. “I’m going to start the berries,” she said and dumped the berries into a large pot. He took her place at the table to start to pour the batter into the three cake pans. 

“You seem to be feeling better,” Callum commented on her cheery mood, as he put the cakes in the oven to bake. 

“Moonberry Surprise _always_ makes me feel better,” she responded. Having nothing to do, he watched as she added various ground spices to the berries, smushing them down as they started to cook over the stove. She was so cheery that she was even _humming_ to herself as she stirred. He couldn’t help but snag her waist in his arms and press against her back, sitting his chin against her shoulder. 

“What are you singing?” He muttered quietly, having listened for a moment, feeling the gentle vibrations of her body as her humming transitioned to an actual song with a lot of words that he didn’t recognize.

”Oh, uh...nothing.” She’d stiffened a little at the question, so he didn’t need to look to know that a blush had spread across her face.

”It’s nice,” he said and kissed her shoulder, then her neck, then her cheek.

”Callum...I’m busy,” she giggled and swatted at him lightly with her free hand. “Hand me that bottle there?” Untangling his arms from her waist, he handed it to her, eyes widening in surprise when she took a small swig from it before pouring most of it into the pot. “What?”

”Oh, I just wasn’t expecting you to _drink_ that,” he said, leaning against the counter to the right of the stove. The berries softened from the heat of the stove as she continued to stir and mash them.

”It’s for good luck,” she explained. “You don’t do that?”

“I guess I do now,” he said with a shrug, and matched her small sip with a little grimace. One corner of her mouth rose into a tiny smile. 

“You could start making the icing, you know.”

“Doesn’t this all have to cool down before we put it all together anyway?”

”Yeah...,” she said, drawing out the word. “But we _could_ take a break while it does...if the icing’s done.” She winked at him as she stirred, and he felt color immediately rise to his cheeks. 

”Yup, uh-huh,” he stammered, meeting her eyes and positively melting from the way they reflected the warm light of the oven behind him. “Icing. On it.”

* * *

Callum hadn’t quite believed her when she said they’d need more moonberries than the recipe called for. Now, peering over her shoulder at the red, syrupy goo that she stirred over the stove, he understood. The pot had been full to the brim with the berries—at least three pints worth—but it had thickened and reduced down to only fill about half of the pot. The mixture had grown more and more fragrant as it cooked, all of the assorted spices filling the kitchen with warm but somewhat foreign scents. The cinnamon and honey had been unsurprising, familiar ingredients, but without reading off from the recipe, Callum had no idea what else Rayla had thrown in to cook with the berries.

He smiled to himself watching her as she bent over and breathed in to smell the concoction. Her shoulders seemed to relax down further than usual when she exhaled. She paused in her stirring and scooped some of the jam-like mixture up onto the spooon, then turned the spoon over and allowed it to plop back into the pot.

”Is it ready yet?” He asked, leaning his hip against the counter on the left of the stove. He stuck a finger into the mixture and tasted it.

“What do you think?” She asked, smiling.

He stuck his finger in the pot again. She blushed when he offered the messy finger to her. He was clearly unphased until she pressed her lips to his finger shyly, pulling away to taste what had stuck to her lips. His cheeks became pink too as she did.

“Uh, I don’t know,” he said with a twinge of nervous embarrassment. He shrugged. “Is it supposed to be so tart?”   
  
“It should be a little sour, yeah. But I do think it could use a little more honey.” 

He cleaned the remaining red jam on his finger with a dish towel. She turned to the table behind them where she’d left the container of honey and briefly inspected the cakes, now cooling, that Callum had been responsible for.

”All we have to do now is put it together,” she said, mixing in thoroughly the dollop of honey she’d added. Satisfied with her final adjustment, she heaved the pot off of the heat then turned to face him, where he still leaned against the counter at her side. “So, I guess you could probably cool everything off with your cute little blow spell, or—“

He interrupted her by pulling her in by the waist suddenly. 

”Or?” He asked, pleased to see her eyes widen in surprise.

”Or this,” she said, eyes narrowing again as she shrugged and laughed. To his surprise, she leaned in past his lips to rest her chin against his shoulder. She held him close to her, but her fingers were not wandering like they usually did when they paused mid-kiss for a tight embrace. He matched the innocent fervor of her embrace with his arms snugly around her waist.

”What’s wrong?” He asked, bringing a hand up to the nape of her neck. He brushed her hair to the side and rubbed small circles there.  
  
“I’m just...still really sorry for earlier. This is...lovely, Callum. Thank you,” she said, still refusing to let go. He turned his face to nuzzle her hair, smelling the spices of the moonberry filling.

”It’s my pleasure. Really,” he said. _Any_ time spent with her was wonderful, but somehow hearing the pain in her voice again now cut deeper knowing how happy she’d been moments ago. “And it’s okay to...not be okay, Rayla.” She loosened her grip to pull away and look at him. At this angle, the light of the dim night sky shone in her eyes, equally as beautifully as the firelight had, but it pulled at his heart in a different way. “I wish...I just...you know you don’t have to hurt _alone_ , right?”

“I’d rather just...be okay,” she answered and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t need to bring _you_ down with me.” He’d hoped his reassurance would lift her spirits, but instead he returned the frown she wore on her lips.

”But Rayla, you can’t just...pretend.” He brought his hands to her shoulders as she evaded his eyes. “I can take it, Rayla. We’ve dealt with _way_ bigger feelings than this.”

”It just...hasn’t seemed important enough to bother you with,” she said. “I don’t want to make you sad too over something like _this_.”

”Rayla, I wouldn’t be _bothered._ I couldnever be _bothered_ by you.” She still could barely meet his eyes. He placed a gentle hand at her cheek and turned her head so that their eyes met. “Rayla, your feelings are important. Not just to me, but _especially_ to me.”

”If you say so,” she said, clearly uncomfortable with the attention to her emotions. “What if what I’m _feeling_ is that I really liked being distracted by cooking with you but now I _feel_ sad because there’s nothing to do to distract me?” She smirked and played with the hem of his collar as she spoke.

”I would say, that I _feel_ like I wish you’d talk about being sad but I understand if you’re not _feeling_ like it right now,” he smiled back, glad to see some joy back in her eyes.

”And what if I said that a kiss would make me _feel_ better?”

”I would say that I respect that _feeling_ ,” he grinned and leaned in to grant her request, feeling her smile against his lips. This triggered his own grin, forcing their lips to separate. “I seriously love you so much, Rayla. I’d do anything to make you happy,” he said, eyes half-lidded, still grinning widely.

”Mmm...I still think kissing is the solution here,” she shrugged and grabbed him by the collar that her fingers hadn’t stopped messing with. “Plus, I have to thank you for my Moonberry Surprise.” She brought her lips to his again. He obliged willingly, interweaving his fingers with hers at his collar and pulling their hands down to their sides. Without breaking their kiss, he gently guided her back against the counter opposite the stove, away from the hot pot of moonberries.

“C-careful of the cakes,” he breathed against her mouth as she caught the edge of the counter. She resumed their kiss, deepening it. Her mouth opened so her tongue could run along his lip. Tiny, repetitive movements of her mouth against his made him sigh and his grip tighten at her waist. He let her carry on, barely fighting the desperate urge to somehow be closer to her. Both intermittently leaned further into the kiss, as if to make sure the other knew they weren’t ready to be done yet. His fingers bunched up the fabric of her pajamas near her waist, using it as leverage to keep her near, and every moment that passed, the heat radiating between their bodies intensified. She brought her hand up into his hair and gripped tightly, in an equal effort to keep him close. At this, his knees buckled a little and he broke off their kiss breathlessly. 

“Y-your welcome,” he stammered, barely able to recall the motivation behind her particularly attentive kissing, as she trailed more kisses across his cheek, to his ear, then down to his collar, before resting her head lazily against his shoulder. 

“I love you, too, by the way,” she said, recalling the unanswered I-love-you just before her thank-you had begun.

”Heh, I’d hope so,” he said, head still clearing from her kiss. He looked over her shoulder at the cakes behind her and detached a hand from her waist to poke one, finding it now cool to the touch. “I think it’s time, Rayla,” he announced.

”Huh?” She said. He felt her eyelashes flutter against his neck as her eyes opened.

”I might have to _aspiro_ the berries,” he said as she lifted her head, “but, I think the cakes are cool enough.” She flashed a bright smile before scrambling out of his arms and around the kitchen to gather the pot of berries and the icing. She placed them both next to the cakes, and cracked her knuckles. As they worked, she started to hum again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooof, here I go with the Rayla angst again...you know, I haven’t really written any Callum-centric angst. Maybe a TTM fic is in order to solve that?
> 
> Still, mostly just fluff here!! They’re so cute and sweet that I just can’t resist! 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

“Just _one_ more,” Rayla said, hovering a moonberry pinched between delicate fingers over the center of the translucently frosted cake.

His chin sat in his hands as he leaned his elbows against the opposite side of the table, the position he’d taken while she’d assembled the cake. She’d let him cut out the center out of one layer of the cake (‘For the surprise!’ She’d grinned.) but that was about all. He’d been shooed off when he tried to help pour the moonberry filling, then again when he’d offered to ice the cake. Callum had given up then, content to watch her happily work.

Every movement as she did caught his attention: the way she dipped a finger in the moonberry mixture to taste before adding it to the cake, the way she looked into the bowl with great concentration to scoop out the last little bit of icing to smooth across the top, the way she popped a single moonberry in her mouth after counting to make sure she’d have enough to decorate with. Love-stricken still, watching her assess her work, he sighed at the same moment that she declared the simple pattern of moonberries across the top of the cake complete. 

“There you have it, Callum,” she grinned, “Moonberry Surprise!” She gestured dramatically at the cake, then met his eyes. His head was tilted to one side, eyes still heavy with affection. “What?” She asked.

”You’re just so gorgeous,” he sighed again.

”You didn’t even look,” she said with a teasingly bitter tone. She rolled her eyes and gestured to her creation again.

”Oh! Sorry.” Shaking his head slightly to throw off the daze he’d been in, he meandered around the table next to her to survey her work. “I don’t know...I think that berry’s a little crooked,” he jested. The corner of her mouth twitched upward. “It looks great, Rayla.”

She reached her hand down to take his. “Thanks, Callum,” she said warmly, referring to more than just the compliment. Her eyes squinted a little as she smiled. Eyes wandering to the spots of moonberry mixture on her shirt, he smiled back.   
  
“We did make a mess though,” he laughed, turning to take stock of the dirty bowls and pans and utensils scattered around the kitchen.  
  
“We still have time,” she shrugged.

His gaze returned back to her and he touched one of the red spots on her shirt, feeling her collarbone beneath. “Even _you’re_ messy,” he said. She looked down, and pulled the bottom hem of the shirt away from her body to see the rest of the spatters of moonberry mixture. He chuckled at her bemused expression, and before he could understand why her eyes had suddenly narrowed, her fingers, messy again, were smearing the red filling across his cheek.   
  
“You too,” she smirked, bright-eyed, dragging the mess down his shirt too, using the yellow fabric to wipe the goo from her fingers. He pursed his lips to keep the smile from breaking across them, attempting to feign displeasure.

“You are _trouble,_ ” he grumbled unconvincingly, crossing him arms.   
  
“You love it,” she smirked, shifting her weight and putting her arms innocently behind her back. He couldn’t help but drop his half-hearted façade.

”I love _you,_ ” he said, stepping forward to place gentle hands on her shoulders before kissing her. He laughed when her lips followed him as he pulled away, clearly in search of the sticky jam spread from his ear to the corner of his mouth. She laid dramatic kisses across the mess she’d made in an ineffective attempt at cleaning it up, one eye open to watch her path.

“Ew! Don’t _lick_ me,” he exclaimed when her tongue found his cheek near his ear. She dissolved into giggles to match his, her shoulders shaking merrily against his hands. She brought her forehead up to to rest against his temple, her nose smudging in the remaining mess on his cheek as she did. When she pulled away, he brushed a finger against the tip of her nose, taking the mess with him.

“Okay, but seriously, we’ve got to start cleaning,” Callum said, kissing her forehead before reaching to gather all of the dirty utensils in the empty icing bowl.

She caught his arm and reached up to swipe a towel across the mess remaining on his cheek. The soft kiss she left against his now-clean cheek turned his heart to mush and a warm smile spread across his face. Nonchalantly and seemingly unaware of her effect, she turned to the large basin of water in the corner of the room. He sighed and picked up a stack of dirty utensils.

”So, just to be clear, the ‘surprise’ is the filling?” He asked as she began washing and he gathered more dirty dishes.

”Yep.”

”Seems...anti-climatic?” He crossed to her, delivering the last round of dishes.

“It looks like an ordinary cake on the outside and then bam! Moonberries!” He giggled at her enthusiasm, as her wild gesturing splashed water in his direction. “What were you expecting?”

”Something that’s not literally in the name of the cake, maybe? Kind of ruins the surprise on its own, doesn’t it?” He mused. He pushed his sleeves up to dry the dishes she’d already made a dent in.

”Maybe so. But really, what else did you think might be in it?”

”I don’t know...ice cream? Chocolate?” He shrugged.

“Nope, just moonberries. So, where are we going to keep the cake until breakfast?” Rayla asked as she scrubbed the pans.

“Uh...good question,” he responded. “I guess we could take it back to our room and stick it in the closet or something until Ez is gone.”

“What if he wakes up when we come back though?” 

“Then we’ll tell him?” Callum shrugged, “It was fun sneaking around and all but it wasn’t _really_ necessary, you know. Cute! But unnecessary,” He leaned over to nudge her with his elbow, and when he looked her way her cheeks were a little pink. She smiled at the compliment.

“Oh. I guess I just...wanted a distraction.” Her face had fallen a little bit as she responded. She slowed the pace of her scrubbing.

”Hey.” He took the bowl from her hands, the last one in the stack, and started to dry it. “I didn’t mean to make you sad. I’m sorry.” She stepped away from the dishes and took a washcloth to the counters, covered in flour and splatters of berries and icing. Callum followed her.

”You didn’t _make me_ sad, Callum,” she scoffed. “I just forgot that I was for a little bit.”   
  
He caught her hand as she turned to clean the stove. “We can finish this in a little bit. Will you _please_ talk to me now?” She hesitated but wandered to the window, their intertwined hands pulling him with her.

”Okay,” she sighed. She looked out the window, hands against the windowsill. Somehow it was easier to explain without looking into Callum’s all-too-concerned eyes. “I told you and Ez I was feeling homesick, but that’s not all. I feel...” He placed a hand on her back. “I feel angry too.”

”Why?”

”I can’t go home and there was never even a real reason for any of it. No reason for my parents to be ghosted, and now no real reason for me to not to be able to go home. But I still can’t. I miss home. And I miss Ethari.” Rayla turned to him with cold and piercing—rather than tearful—eyes.

“But I’m also so _mad_ that they would all assume the worst. That he would assume the worst. About me. About my parents.” She turned back to the window as her anger ebbed back into sadness.

”Rayla, I know this is going to sound crazy, but...I’m _glad_ that you’re mad.” She glared and his hands went up defensively. He turned to face her, leaning back against the window. “Hear me out: I’m glad you’re mad, because you’re _right_. None of that is fair. Sometimes, I worry...”

”What?” She asked, voice softer than he expected. She still gazed out the window.

”I worry that you don’t realize that you never deserved for any of that to happen. You deserve to be happy.” Her fingers clenched into a fist against the windowsill at that. 

“I don’t know what to do,” she said. “I don’t know...how to feel better. Even if I could go home, I would still be angry. I could pretend not to be, but I still _would_ be.”

”I don’t have an answer for that,” he said quietly. 

“Me either,” she said.

”I guess except talking about it, maybe?” He shrugged. She looked to him, heavy sadness having returned to her eyes. She forced a tiny smile.

”I guess that talking’s not the _worst_ thing,” she said. She loosened her still clenched fist and offered the hand to him. “I’m grateful that you...want to know all of this.” 

“Of course I do, Rayla. I love you,” he said. “You’re...you’re my person. And I’m yours.” He squeezed her hand, letting the tightened grip linger until she met his eyes. “That won’t ever change,” he smiled at her reassuringly, tenderly, and then, quicker than he could adjust, she was in his arms, head tucked into the crook of his neck, back against his chest. He tightened his arms around her, thanking the universe for her and the sweet nothings she was whispering back to him.

”You’re so...steady for me,” she mused. “You make me a crying, feelings-y mess,” she laughed, “and you get to stand there all calm and collected.” She poked his side.

”Are you kidding? I’m the one who can’t speak in complete sentences if I even think about you kissing me!” He prodded her back.

”Oh, yeah?” She said, turning her face to his, flirtatiously. 

“See? I can’t do _that,_ ” he looked away to retain some sense of composure, as if he had something to prove. 

”And what is _that_ , exactly?” She leaned closer, not quite giving up.

“Make you nervous,” he shrugged. “Make you blush. Definitely not with just a look like that.”

“Try,” she ordered. He hesitated. “Seriously. Do your worst.” He cleared his throat dramatically before breaking their embrace and stepping around the face her. 

He lifted his hand to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear and she glanced at his fingers, keeping as straight a face as she could. When she met his eyes again, they were locked into hers, large, deep, and intense. His other hand squeezed at her waist. He curled his fingers to run the back of his hand down her neck, across her shoulder, then down her arm to her hand. Her breathing was shallower, watching him, fascinated with the unspoken passion coming through in his eyes. He brought that hand to his lips, stepping even closer as he did. He pressed the back of her hand that he held to his chest and then angled in as if he was going to kiss her. Her jaw slackened, ready for that kiss. “See?” He whispered. “You’re not even blushing, and I did way more than look at—”

She crushed her lips to his for a short but hungry kiss.

“I...” She looked to the side and blushed then, not sure what to even say.

“Ha! I did it!” He released her hand _and_ her waist to her disappointment.

“Callum.”

“Though, I guess it doesn’t count if _you_ kiss _me_ and then _you_ blush.” When she reached back for his hands, he joined them again without a second thought. She placed them back on her waist.

“Oh,” he said, realizing that her eyes still held the intense gaze he’d started.

”Kiss me again. Please.” The pink was gone from her cheeks now.

He moved one hand from her waist to her cheek and did kiss her, after pausing briefly a breath away to chuckle. She looped her arms around his neck, and let her fingers twirl into his hair. His fingers migrated from her cheek into her hair, too, brushing it out of the way, fingers grazing the base of her horn as he did. She inhaled sharply at the unexpected contact, immediately reattaching her lips to his, feeling a little more than frenzied in their kisses. His other hand inched it’s way around her back to grip against her other hip, holding her as close as possible to him. She broke away in need of air first, and he laid kisses on her cheek and jaw.

“Callum...I am...completely...in love with you.” The words came out disjointed as she caught her breath and enjoyed his kisses against her skin. She laughed after she’d said it, realizing it sounded pretty dramatic. “You can’t look at me like that and expect me not to want to kiss you,” she breathed, a little calmer now that he had stopped kissing her in order to laugh too.

”Noted: Looking at Rayla too long makes her want to make out with me,” he chuckled some more, and she thumped him in the chest lightly, a little chagrined. He caught the blush on her cheeks. “OH! Do I have to catch _you_ liking _me_ to make you blush?”

”I mean, now that I think about it,” she said with a shrug, “that’s what I do. Catch you looking a little too long...or at the wrong time...or in the wrong place...” She fidgeted with his collar and glanced up to see the color spread. “Oh, good, now we’re both an embarrassed mess.” She laughed and moved closer to hug him, matching warm, pink cheeks brushing. They stood arms looped around each other like that long enough to feel too warm from the heat of their bodies so close together. 

“I think it’s time,” Callum said sadly, remember the rest of their mess to be cleaned. 

“Ugh, fine,” she said, pulling away hesitantly. “I’ll finish wiping everything off if you pack up.” 

As she wiped the last counter and he tucked the last special Xadian spice into his bag, she perked up at a sound. “Uh, are you ready?” She asked. 

“Mmm, yeah! I think so!” She put a finger to his lips, silencing him, then grabbed the cake.

She pointed to the ground and then to a skinny little side door. As she awkwardly crouched down holding the cake platter, he scurried toward the door on all fours. As voices approached she slipped out the door, stumbling into the still-dark alleyway and he followed, the door closing loudly behind them. She sighed in relief, setting the plate on the step and met his eyes, immediately breaking out into matching grins followed by broad laughter.

* * *

“Hello, hello, hello,” Callum said, approaching where Soren and Ez sat eating. Rayla appeared at his side, hands behind her back.

”Uh, hey?” Soren said.

”What’s going on?” Ez asked.

”Well...last night, Rayla and I...”

”Ew! No! I don’t need to hear this!” Soren said plugging his ears. Callum’s face fell, confounded by what Soren could possibly think he was going to cheerily brag about in front of his baby brother.

”Yes?” Ez asked, oblivious and undeterred.

”We snuck into the kitchen...” Callum continued.

”...and baked everyone...” Rayla chimed in, on cue.

”...Rayla’s favorite dessert...”

”...Moonberry Surprise!” She revealed the pretty little cake from behind her back.

“Oh, THAT’S why you were both wandering the halls all night!” Soren said, having unplugged his ears.

”...what?” Callum and Rayla both choked out. 

“Yeah, I saw Rayla at like midnight, but then I heard you guys behind that curtain in the main hall too,” he said, shoveling eggs into his mouth. “What were you guys _doing_ back there anyway?”

”Uh...” Callum started.

”Yeah, why would you be behind a curtain?” Ez wondered

”No, no reason!” Callum practically shouted, voice breaking. Rayla cringed before hastily changing the subject.

“Anyway! Who wants cake?”


End file.
